The invention concerns a filter element, in particular flat filter element, in particular of an air filter, in particular of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, comprising a filter bellows on which at least one support element is arranged for supporting the filter element relative to a filter housing in which the filter element can be arranged.
Moreover, the invention concerns an air filter, in particular of an internal combustion engine, in particular of a motor vehicle, comprising a filter housing that comprises a housing interior, at least one inlet for air to be purified and at least one outlet for purified air, and a filter element, in particular a filter element according to the invention, arranged in the housing interior such that it separates the at least one inlet from the at least one outlet, wherein the filter element comprises a filter bellows on which at least one support element is arranged for supporting the filter element relative to the filter housing.
GB 1 446 195 discloses an air filter unit comprising a filter element and a lateral frame. The filter element can be comprised of filter paper or any other suitable material. The lateral frame comprises a sealing ring. The sealing ring is of the same material as the rest of the frame. It is an integral component of the frame. On each of the four sidewalls of the frame, a plurality of cylindrical projections are formed. During operation, the air filter unit is arranged in a filter housing. The filter housing comprises two housing halves with rectangular cross-section. The filter unit is inserted into a receptacle in the filter housing such that the projections contact an end face of a first one of the housing halves. The two housing halves are held together and held relative the filter unit by means of quick attachment means. The seal is pressed against the first housing half. The projections along the four sidewalls of the frame ensure a correct arrangement of the filter unit in the filter housing.
The invention has the object to design a filter element and an air filter of the aforementioned kind in such a way that the filter element can be secured more reliably and/or positioned more precisely in the filter housing. In particular, the filter element, in particular the filter bellows, is to be protected from mechanical loads.